Posts Tagged ‘Kitchen’

During these tough times, we are making our dollar stretch as far as possible. When you are cooking and and have sauce remaining in a jar, like spaghetti sauce, do the following: place just a small amount of water in the jar, cap it, shake it, and then pour out the remaining sauce.

Lower the volume of your trash. Before throwing your soda bottles, milk jugs, etc., do the following: with the cap off, squeeze out as much as possible, and then put back on the cap. With this little trick, will help you cut down the volume of your trash and recyclables.

We all know that a microwave can get messy…especially those at our place of work. (People often seem to forget to cover their food.) Well, here’s an easy, inexpensive and “green” way to clean any grimy microwave.

In a large, glass bowl combine approximately 1 cup of each of the following ingredients: water, lemon juice and white vinegar. One thing to note, the length of time you need to microwave the mixture and let it sit depends on the dirtiness of your microwave. The times below are approximate

Start your microwave and let it run for enough time that the mixture will boil for 3-6 minutes. After this, keep the microwave door closed and let the mixture sit and steam for 5-10 minutes. Once the food debris has softened, it is ready to wipe away. If needed, you can repeat the steps above.

Here’s a healthier alternative to a certain restaurant’s egg sandwich.

You can use either two slices of toasted whole wheat bread or a low calorie English muffin. (The type of bread you decide to use will determine the size of bowl you will need.)

In a bowl, approximately the same size as your bread, mix an egg and about a tablespoon of milk. Place the bowl in the microwave and cook until done. (You may need to use a small spatula to flip the egg while cooking.)

When you have your egg, meat, and bread/muffin ready to go, start building your sandwich. Don’t forget to replace your butter or margarine with the spray version of “I can’t believe it’s not butter” and some lowfat or nonfat cheese.

You can make your home egg sandwich for 300-350 calories versus the 400 plus calories for a meat and egg sandwich at a certain fast food chain. Plus, you know exactly what the ingredients are.

If you want to cut out even more calories, you can use egg whites or one of the popular “Egg Beaters” products.

Need a spice but can never seem to find it? Spice containers like cinnamon, dill seed, thyme, and so on, are often small and can easily get lost in your cupboards. Purchase a plastic, multi-tiered expandable shelf. This will give your cupboard a new dimension, along with the ability to more easily see the spices in the back.

Another way to organize your spices even more is to arrange them in alphabetical order. This makes your baking and cooking go a little quicker – you aren’t having to dig through all your jars and containers. When you use the multi-tiered shelf, it doesn’t matter that a larger container is in front of a smaller container.

Don’t waste your money on fancy chip clips.Head to your home office or “junk drawer” and find a binder clip.I think these clips keep your bags sealed much tighter and don’t go flying off when you bump them into your shelf.The binder clips come in a variety of sizes (and even colors) so having several on hand can help you with household paperwork as well as household snacks.